Rotary engine.



No. 766,912. PATENTED AUG. 9, 1904.

L. E. STETLER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

- APPLIoLTIoN FILED rma. 1. 1904.

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No. 766,912. PATENTED AUG. 9, V1904. L. E. STETLER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

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N0. 766,912. PATENTED AUG. 9, 1904. L. E. STETLER. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIUATIUN FILED FEB. 1, 1904.

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No. 766,912. PATENTED AUG. 9, 1904. L.E.STETLBR. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIUATION FILED FEB. 1, 1904. N0 MDEL. 4 SHBETS-BHEBT4.

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PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS E. STETLEB, OE MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA. l

ROTAllY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,912, dated August 9, 1904.

Application filed February l, 1904. Serial No. 191,408. (No model.)

' To al?, wemn it may concern:

kBe it known that I, L'nwIs E. STETLER, a citizen ci the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and Stateoit Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description. of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to rotary engines, and has for its object to improve the same in the several particulars hereinafter noted; and to such ends the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations ot' devices hereinafter described, and deiined in the claims.

As is well known, one of thegreatest diiiiculties encountered in the construction ci rotary engines has been to provide durable steam-tight joints between the stationary and movable parts oi snch engines. My invention is directed chiefly to simple, efiicient,and

durable means for ailording steam or air tight joints between these parts of the engine; and it consists in providing the rotating member or piston with incasing sections which forni tight joints with the cylinder-heads and with other coperating parts and which sections have interlapping projections. In the best iorm of the engine oscillating' segmental abutments are provided, and these are equipped witlrincasing sections quite similar to those provided for the rotary piston.

The invention is illustrated in the accomjiianying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure `l is a view in front elevation, showing my improved rotary engine. Fig. Q is a view in side elevation, showing the said cngine. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line .fc3 m3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line mi fr" otl Eig. l, some parts being left in full; and Fig. 5 is a detail View, partly in plan and partly in horizontal section, showing one ot' the oscillatin g abutments removed from work-` ing position.

rlhe cylinder-casting l is, as shown, cast integral with the base 2 and with segmental abutment-seats 3, and the ends ofthe said cylinder and abutment-seats are normally closed by detachable heads or plates 4, connected. thereto with steam-tight joints, as

at one end and is provided with a hand-lever 9. The admission-port 7 opens Yfrom the steamchest l0 on the upper portion o't the cylindercasting. A steam admission pipe 1l leads y:trom a suitable source et' supply (not shown) and opens into the steam-chest 10. A distribution-valve 1Q, having a centrally-located port,

cooperates with the admission-port 7 and is mounted to slide on a suitable scat formed at the bottom ot the steam-chest. Said distribution-valve l2 has a stem 13, which works outward through one side et' the steam-chest and is adapted to be operated with a properlytimed action by any suitable form oi' valvegear. (Not shown.) W hen it is not desired to cut oill steam and to cause `the engine to run under the expansion of steam, this valve may be dispensed with or it may be left standing as shown in Eig. 3.

Mounted torotate within the cylinder 1, with its axis concentric to the axis of said cylinder, is a rotary piston 14, made up, as shown, ci an annular ring rigidly connected to an engine driving-shaft l5 by radial arms. The said shaft l5 is mounted in suitable bearings formed on the heads or plates 4 and is provided at one oit its outer ends with a pulley `16, over which a belt (not shown) may be run to transmit power from the engine. The rim et this rotary piston is incased or covered by two annular peripheral packings or incasing sections 17, which closely `lit the same and have interlapping rectangular teeth or luglike projections 1li-3. These peripheral incasing packings are preferably connected by integrally-cast radial arms 1 9 with hubs 20, that loosely encircle the shait 15. Ooiled springs 2l on the shaft l5 are compressed be- 'IOO tween the hubs 2O and the hub of the piston 14 and yieldingly press the outer edges or bearing-surfaces of the annular incasing packings or sections 17 into close engagement with the inner surfaces of the cylinder heads or plates4, thus forming steam-tight joints between the said parts and automatically taking up all wear which will occur. The interlapping teeth or projections 18 of the said sections 17 permit the slight separating movement of the said sections 17 necessary to take up wear.

Throughout all but a small portion of their peripheral surfaces the incasing packings 17 are spaced a considerable distance inward from, but extend concentric to, the cylindrical surface of the cylinder 1; but they are provided with outwardly-bulged cam portions 22, that project for contact withrthe said cylindrical surface and constitute an impelling-surface against which the steam may act toimpart a rotary movement to the rotary piston. At its crown or extreme ridge this impelling-survface afforded by cam-like projections 22 is formed with a transverse peripheral seat, in which is mounted a spring-pressed packingstrip 23. This packing-strip 23 extends completely across the said impelling-surface and closely engages at its ends with the cylinder heads or plates 4. As shown, a transverselyextended key 24 holds the incasing sections or packings 17 for rotary movements with the 1 piston 14.

The segmental oscillating abutments 25 are incased by correspondingly-formed packingsections 26, which sections, like the sections of the piston-incasing packings, are formed with interlapping rectangular teeth or luglike projections 27. The outer cylindrical surfaces of the incasing packing 26 closely iit the cylindrical surfaces of the abutment-seats 3, and the concave cylindrical surfaces of the said abutment-packings are formed on such lines that when an abutment stands as shown at the left in Fig. 3 said concave surfaces will lie coincident with the cylindrical surface of the cylinder and will, in fact, complete the bearing-surface of the cylinder between those points which are intersected by the cylindrical surface of the abutment-seats. The abutments proper, 25, are, as shown,connected by spokes or radial arms 28 to short shafts 29, loosely mounted in the cylinder-plates 4 and provided at their forwardly-projecting ends with arms 30. The arms 28 converge from a hub 31. (Best `shown in Fig. 5.) The abutment incasing packings 26 have, as shown, radial armsor spokes 32, that unite in hubs 33, loosely lfitting the respective shafts 29. Coiled springs 34 on the shafts 29 are compressed between the hub 31 and the hubs 33 and yieldingly press the outer edges of the packings or incasing sections 26 against the adjacent inner surfaces of the cylinderplates'4. The said springs serve to maintain a close engagement between the said packings 26 and the cylinder-plates and automatically take up the play or slack due to wear between the parts.

At their oppositely-projecting angles or extremities the abutment-incasing packings 26 are formed with piston-engaging flanges 35, which when the abutments are thrown into inoperative positions engage with notches 36, formed in the cylinder at its junction with the abutment-seats.

The oscillating abutments and their incasing packings are formed with peripheral steam-ports 37 and 38, which are located so as to operate as presently described. The abutment-arms 30 are connected to the reversing-levers 9 by divided telescoping links 39 40. The sections 39 and 40 are connected by slot-and-pin couplings 41 and are yieldingly held extended by coiled springs 42. The reversing-lever 9 is adapted to be held in either one of two extreme positions by engagement with one or the other of-a pair of notches 43,

formed in a lock-segment 44, shown as secured on the side of the steam-chest 10.

lhen it is desired to rotate the rotary piston in the direction indicated by the arrow marked on Fig. 3, the reversing-lever 9 is moved to and secured to the right, as shown in Fig. 1. This position of the reversinglever carries the left-hand abutment into an inoperative position, moves the right-hand abutment into an operative position, and sets the reversing-valve 8 in position to direct the steam from the steam-chest into the right-hand side of the annular chamber formed within the cylinder outside of the piston. More specifically stated, with the parts set as shown in Fig. 3 the live steam finds an entrance into the cylinder through the admission-port 7, through the cavity of the valve 8, through the righthand branch port 17, through the abutmentport 37, through the interior of the righthand abutment, and thence into the cylinder through the abutment-port 38.

The steam admitted as above noted causes the piston to rotate in the direction stated, and when the cam-like impelling-surface 22 of said piston comes into engagement with the concave surface of the abutment-packing it forces the said right-hand abutment temporarily into a position corresponding to that shown at the left in Fig. 3, and by s'uch movement of said abutment the said impelling-surface of the piston is permitted to pass. The above movement of the said abutment is permitted by the right-hand spring 42, which yields to permit the outer section of the righthand link 39 40 to move telescopically into the inner section, the said spring causing the said abutment to again assume its operative position as soon as the said impellingsurface 22 has passed by the. bearing-flange 35 of the said abutment.

As is evident, the engine may be reversed IOO IIO

'feesie by throwing the reversing-lever 9 into its eX- treme position toward the left, so as to reverse the relative positions of the two abutments.

It is evident that under either direction of movement the eXhanst-port 6 is open to permit the free exhaust of steam or air in ad- Vance of the impelling-surface of the piston. It is also evident that when one of the abutments is moved into aninoperative position it cuts off the supply of steam therethrough to the cylinder, and thus operates as a valve as well as an abutment. The packing-strip 23 and the piston-engaging surfaces of the abutment-flanges 35 are advisably made of such dimensions as to overlap at least two of the joints formed by the interlapping lugs 18 and 27, with which they respectively engage. This reduces the possibility of leaking joints.

The engine above described, while comparatively simple and durable, is eiiicient for the purposes had in View and .is quite cheap to build. Itis of course capable of modiiication within the scope of myv invention as herein set forth and claimed.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

ing the said annular packings in opposite diF rections against the cylinder-heads, said paekings being' bulged radially to form inclined surfaces, substantially `as described.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, oscillating abutments and valve mechanism, of a rotary piston working within said cylinder, and annular incasing packings fitting around said piston, having interlapping' peripheral lugs or rectangular teeth and.

having radially-bulged cani portions fitting against the cylinder-surface and affording irnpeiling-surfaces for said piston, and operating as cams on said oscillating' abutments, substantially as described.

4. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, and a rotary piston workingtheren in, of an osci llating abutment cooperating with said piston, and peripheral incasing packings on said abutments, the sections of which packing have interlapping lugs or angular projec` tions, substantially as described.

, 5. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder and with reversely-acting segmental oscillating` abutments, of a rotary piston working within said cylinder, the incasing packing' 17 su rrounding said piston, said packn ings having the interlapping lugs 18 and calnsurfaces 22, springs yieldingly pressing said packings in opposite directions against the cylinder-head, and a springpressed packingstrip 23 seated in the said cam projection 22, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEI/VIS IC. STETLER. Vitnesses:

E. Ifl. Klemmen, F. l). lvluneilmNfr. 

